The 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships will take place in London from June 10–16, featuring an expanded blitz competition with a new knockout stage. Hosted at Novotel London West, the event follows successful editions in Düsseldorf and Astana. The tournament format includes a rapid event and a two-day blitz competition, with teams advancing […]
Monthly Archives: March 2025
In the new episode of their “Two Knights Talk”, Arne Kähler and Johannes Fischer explore the phenomenon of “killer instinct”. They wonder what it is, which top players had or have a lot of it, and whether it makes you happy. And they show the end of a game of a top player who has […]
The 2025 European Championship kicks off on Saturday in Eforie-Nord, Romania. As well as a €100,000 prize fund, the players will have the chance to qualify for the World Cup – with the top 20 players qualifying for the World Cup.
The Serbian Chess Federation organised its 56th International Women’s Tournament in Belgrade from 1 to 9 March, on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March. German WGM Josefine Heinemann won with 7.0/9 and finished a full point ahead of IM Bhakhti Kulkarni from India. | Photos: Tournament page
The Neo-London System is an improved, more creative variation of the classical London System, which avoids dangerous black defensive moves with 3.c3 and Lf4 and exploits risks in the Lf5 variation. The course offers numerous innovations, sharper ideas and interactive training material to surprise opponents in unexplored positions. The ultra-creative Neo-London system! Ellis’ “baby” is […]
Some of the world’s best chess players have trained under him, yet his name remains unknown to many. He has worked with players like Anish Giri, Jorden van Foreest, and Vladimir Fedoseev but always stayed behind the scenes. He is known for his creative training methods and intensive sessions. The name of this mastermind is […]
Today is publishing day. Susan Polgar’s book, Rebel Queen, is available in book outlets, or on Amazon, where you can also get the Kindle edition. It describes the trials and tribulations of a super-talent at odds with her federation, and how she overcame it to rise to the very top of women’s chess. Today we […]
Magnus Carlsen representend his team Offerspill last weekend at the end of this year’s Norwegian Elite Series and won all the three games he played. However, it was not enough to win the championship. Vålerenga (pictured) became Norwegian team champions ahead of OSS and Offerspill. | Photo: Kaido Kulaots via Facebook
On July 13, 2004, Bobby Fischer was detained in Japan with an invalid U.S. passport. That marked the beginning of a nine-month ordeal for him in Japanese custody. Among the supporters fighting for his release was former World Champion Boris Spassky, whom Fischer had dethroned thirty years earlier. Spassky, who passed last week, even wrote […]
What is the Ultimate Underdog chess game, ever played? This is obviously a very difficult question to answer, and moreover, very subjective. Nonetheless, one game would probably be set in the top 10 list – Adams vs. Torre from 1920. In this game, which is suspiciously beautiful, Adams tries really hard to sacrifice his queen […]